Sporting Kansas City signs Chile's Felipe Gutierrez as DP

Felipe Gutierrez has been a mainstay in the Chile lineup for the past four years.

Sporting Kansas City completed the signing of Chile midfielder Felipe Gutierrez as a designated player on Tuesday.

Gutierrez, 27, signed a three-year contract with a club option for the 2021 season. He moves to Sporting KC from La Liga side Real Betis, though he has spent most of the last year on loan with Internacional in Brazil.

"Felipe has a tremendous amount of experience playing in very difficult environments in top-level competitions," Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said in a statement. "He also possesses the DNA that we look for in players that fit our style. He is excited about joining the club and we are ecstatic for him to be a part of our team."

Before joining Betis in the summer of 2016, Gutierrez had spent four seasons with Twente in the Dutch Eredivisie, where he was named the league's most valuable player in the 2013-14 season.

He has earned 35 caps for Chile, playing at the 2014 World Cup and helping La Roja win the Copa America in 2015.

Gutierrez is Sporting KC's second designated player signing of the offseason, after the club added Yohan Croizet, another central midfielder, in December.

The additions put Sporting two designated players over the limit, so the team will have to buy down two of the contracts of Graham Zusi, Roger Espinoza and Gerso Fernandes with targeted allocation money before the start of the season next month.

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